Atorvastatin-loaded HPMC/Eudragit composite hydrogel film dressings: physicomechanical properties, sustained release, and wound-repair performance

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)/Eudragit L100 composite hydrogel film dressings were developed for the localized and sustained delivery of atorvastatin to excisional wounds. Solvent-cast formulations containing different HPMC/Eudragit ratios were screened for swelling, mass loss, and tensile strength, and the optimized polymer composition was loaded with 2% (w/w) atorvastatin. Surface morphology and drug-polymer compatibility were examined by scanning electron microscopy and attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The optimized blank matrix (F3) exhibited a swelling ratio of 79 ± 5.4%, mass loss of 30 ± 2.9%, and tensile strength of 21.71 ± 3.2 MPa. Its atorvastatin-loaded counterpart (F4) showed an interconnected porous morphology and retained the characteristic functional groups of the constituent polymers and drug. Approximately 82% of atorvastatin was released over 24 h. Release data were best described by the Korsmeyer-Peppas model (R² = 0.994; n = 0.665), indicating anomalous transport. In a full-thickness excisional wound model in Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 6 rats/group), the atorvastatin-loaded hydrogel dressing shows significantly (p < 0.05) faster wound closure and re-epithelialization on day 14 as compared to blank hydrogel film (F3) and standard gauze treated group. Histological analysis showed improved epidermal organization and collagen deposition in ATV loaded hydrogel film treated group. Exploratory molecular docking predicted atorvastatin accommodation within PPARγ and S1PR1 binding pockets, although with weaker scores than the native ligands. These findings support HPMC/Eudragit L100 films as sustained-release wound dressings, with the atorvastatin-loaded formulation showing superior wound-repair performance to the blank matrix and standard gauze, although further mechanistic studies are needed.